


“First Times” with Grindeldore

by plum_blossom, Weirdo_with_ideas (plum_blossom)



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Fluffy, Gay, M/M, like very gay, sad bc they deserved better, tell me what to write
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:02:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24490249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/plum_blossom/pseuds/plum_blossom, https://archiveofourown.org/users/plum_blossom/pseuds/Weirdo_with_ideas
Summary: Their first kiss, their first meeting, their first break up, haha, jk (sobbing in the background).Comment which ‘firsts’ you want me to write :)
Relationships: Albus Dumbledore/Gellert Grindelwald, grindeldore - Relationship
Comments: 32
Kudos: 90





	1. Kiss

Albus was sitting in a tree located on a small hill at the outskirts of Godric’s Hollow. He tried to concentrate on the book in his lap, but his mind kept replaying the argument he’d had with Aberforth in the morning. 

_”Instead of amusing yourself with that boy you could spend some time with Ariana, you know?”_

_“‘That boy’ has a name, Aberforth.”_

_“Oh, yes, naturally, excuse me - your highness.”_

_“Ugh, would you stop? I can spend my time however I please. With whoever I please.”_

_“Well. Maybe you shouldn’t.”_

_“What’s that supposed to mean?”_

_“You want the truth? Your boyfriend is arrogant and self-absorbed and it’s rubbing off on you, Albus.”_

_“Oh, shut up! He’s not my boyfriend! And you don’t even know him properly!”_

_“He thinks he’s better than us, don’t you see it? He’s obsessed with a fairy tale and he’s planting his dense ideas into your brain-“_

_“Gellert is a genius!”_

_“He’s a twat! And so are you.”_

_“That’s it. I’m leaving!”_

Just then, Albus heard a rustling next to him. He startled up.

“Somebody is deeply lost in thoughts...” Gellert grinned at him sheepishly, even teeth shining beneath his mismatched pair of eyes.

“I didn’t hear you coming,” Albus mumbled. 

Gellert settled down next to him on the branch. He was a little too close for Albus to feel entirely comfortable. The auburn wizard had a familiar fluttering inside his stomach.  
Gellert’s eyes fell on the book. “The tales of Beedle the Bade.”

“Mhm,” Albus hummed and held out the book to the blonde boy. 

But Gellert didn’t take it. “Read it to me,” he asked softly.

Confused, Albus hesitated. Then, he opened the book. He already knew which tale Gellert wanted to hear.

“There once were three brothers,” Albus started and Gellert closed his eyes after a while.  
The words came from the page to Albus’ lips, falling from there into the windless summer air. The sun drew patterns on Gellert’s alabaster skin and the boy’s blonde locks were basically glowing in the bright light. Albus stole glances at the young wizard and the glances turned into longer-lasting glances, those turned into gazes.  
Finally, he wasn’t even reading anymore, just reciting from his memory while staring at Gellert, at the changing patterns the shadow drew on his face and his long lashes resting on his fair cheeks. 

“The oldest brother asked for a wand, more powerful than any other. So, death broke a twig from...”

“From an Elder tree by the river,” Gellert continued and suddenly opened his eyes. 

He turned his head, his face only inches away from Albus’. “He handed the oldest brother the most powerful wand and the man went on his ways.” His breath brushed Albus’ lips which every word he said.  
“Feeling powerful,” Gellert’s voice was merely a whisper, “And undefeatable.”

They locked eyes. And Gellert leant in. His soft lips pressed against Albus’ without any kind of hesitation or insecurity. Albus froze, dazzled by the warmth of Gellert’s mouth against his, by his proximity and the sheer _trueness_ of the moment.

When the two boys broke apart, Albus looked at the blonde with the most fazed expression.  
“Did you just kiss me?”, he asked dumbly.

“Was I not supposed to?” Gellert smirked.

“I don’t know. Can you do it again?”

Their second kiss was rougher, more demanding on Gellert’s side. It took Albus a moment to ease into the overwhelming feeling of Gellert’s tongue down his throat, but then he pushed back with the same urgency. A primal desire drove his hand down between Gellert’s legs and the book fell off the tree, dismissed by both of them. 

Gellert inhaled sharply against Albus’ lips. “You have-“ He hooked his fingers into the waistband of Albus’ trousers. “No idea how long I’ve been wanting to do this.”  
He connected their mouths once more. 

Albus held on to his hips, suddenly jerking away his head. “We really shouldn’t-“

“Oh, please, Albus.” Gellert sounded careless. He held Albus’ neck between his hands. “We’re the most powerful wizards of our generation. And one day we’ll be in possession of all the Hallows and we’ll rule over the world of wizards and muggles concurrently.”

Albus looked at him with wary in his light eyes.

Gellert continued under his breath: “A world in which we can live freely,” he ran his thumb along Albus’ jawline, “and _love_ freely.”

He rested his forehead against Albus’. “Imagine, Albus, just the two of us.” 

A small smile crept onto Albus’ face. “I’d like that.” And he kissed him again.


	2. Meeting

Bathilda Bagshot was quite a typical “old lady”, even though she wasn’t even that old. She wore colourful woollen clothes, spent her days writing on her book about the history of magic, had deep shadows in her face and a weak voice.   
And for some reason she liked Albus Dumbledore. Maybe that was just the natural effect that the auburn haired boy had on people - they liked his confident, yet polite tone, paired with his soft features and kind eyes which had a leashed mischievousness to them.   
It wasn’t unusual that Bathilda would invite the young wizard over for a cup of tea and biscuits and Albus would almost always agree. Not because he was so fond of the lady’s company, no, Albus could have thought of a thousand more pleasant people, but because her lemon tart and her chocolate drop cookies were excellent and Albus had always had a sweet tooth. 

That day however - it was his second day back in Godric’s Hollow where he’d have to spend his summer holidays with his brother and sister -, she didn’t say anything about tea or biscuits. Instead, she started off their conversation with, “Albus, dear boy, how come there’s no one keeping you company?”

Albus frowned at that. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Bagshot, whatever do you mean?” He gave her a confused smile.

“You’re a smart and nice lad, why don’t you have more friends visiting you?”

“Oh,” Albus made, “Well, I rather like busying myself with studies.”

Mrs. Bagshot leaned a little farther over her fence at those words and smiled knowingly. “There’s someone I’d like you to meet, young man.” 

Albus was still a little confused. “Alright,” he said very slowly. “How come? And who are they if I may ask?” 

“My nephew. He’s staying with me for the summer. And I have a feeling you two will get along very well. Besides, you’re in desperate need for some social contacts, son.”

“When shall I meet him?”, Albus said politely. He wasn’t actually as excited as he pretended to be.   
Though Mrs. Bagshot wasn’t wrong - he didn’t have a load of social contacts outside of his miserable family, let alone any friends - he didn’t really believe that the nephew of someone as dull as Bathilda Bagshot could bring excitement into his pitiful life.   
But, oh, how wrong he was...

“I don’t know where the boy is sneaking around now, but he’ll surely be back by tea time,” Mrs. Bagshot said and with that a date had been set.

It was warm and the air stood unmoved in the streets of Godric’s Hollow, making for a calm, but also slightly heavy feeling inside Albus’ chest when he crossed the road at 4 pm. Mrs. Bagshot’s house was small and seemingly insignificant. If it hadn’t been for the runes carved into her front door, nothing would have signified or even just hinted that she was a witch. 

Albus knocked on the wooden door and it swung open almost immediately.   
“Ah, Albus! I’ve been expecting you, come in, come in, you’re just on time - we’ve barely started.” 

She led him through the house to the sitting room. 

And there he was. Sitting at the table, unenthusiastically chewing on a piece of biscuit and deliberately ignoring the boy that had just entered, Gellert made his first appearance in Albus’ life. 

“Hello,” Albus simply said.

The blonde wizard at the table radiated something akin to superiority, grace and arrogance, sitting there and looking into his cup of tea as if it was totally and absolutely beneath him.

Albus didn’t like it - The way he was being ignored. 

“Gellert. Don’t be rude. Say hello.” 

_Gellert_ (if Albus had heard right) finally lifted his head in a smooth motion and his eyes met Albus’.  
The blonde boy had a mesmerising, strange beauty to him - he had pale skin, almost Perlmutt white and strong cheekbones. But the most extraordinary thing about him were his eyes; While his left was of a dark brown colour, his right was light blue, almost white and a bit like Albus’ eyes. 

“Hello,” the wizard said coolly. He returned to looking down at his tea, but as soon as Albus had sat down, he felt the strange boy’s eyes upon him again. He tried to pay it little attention and instead focused on his good manners. 

“Thank you, Mrs. Bagshot for inviting me,” he smiled softly. It was faked of course, but it was still polite. 

“Oh, naturally, my dear boy, naturally.” Mrs. Bagshot filled Albus’ cup with steaming tea. Or rather, the pot levitated over to him and filled the cup on its own.   
Albus looked at the small bowl of sugar cubes and let the first one fly over to his cup of tea. It dropped into the cup with a small plop. 

He was in the middle of wondering how many cubes he could take without appearing impolite when Gellert suddenly spoke up. “You’re interested in wandless magic.” The blonde’s voice was soft. Softer than Albus had expected it to be. Pleasant to listen to.

The auburn boy couldn’t really detect whether it had been a question or not. Either way, he answered, “Levitating sugar cubes isn’t exactly a task.” 

“It is to muggles.” There was a slight accent in his voice, but Albus couldn’t place it.

“Everything seems to be a task to muggles,” Albus answered carefully. He was at his fifth sugar cube now and decided to stop before anyone noticed. 

The blonde’s eyes narrowed slightly. “More tea to your sugar?”, he asked teasingly and Albus was both slightly taken aback and intrigued. 

“No, thanks.” Suddenly, Albus noticed the glittering metal peaking out from beneath Gellert’s shirt. 

“You see, Albus here is a very good student, Gellert,” Mrs. Bagshot said, shoving the plate with the biscuits towards Albus. 

“And a pretty one, too,” Gellert said, too quiet for his aunt to hear, but loud enough for Albus to make him choke on his biscuit. 

He coughed and it took him a moment until he could say, “Thank you, Mrs. Bagshot, ehem.” He cleared his throat. “Excuse me.”

“I’m sure school must be fascination to you,” Gellert said casually.

Albus collected himself. “It bores me, actually. I’d like to give my time to bigger projects with huger cause.”

At those words, something glittered inside Gellert’s mismatched eyes. He shifted and Albus was almost 100% sure that he’d done it on purpose as the necklace slid out from underneath Gellert’s shirt and Albus could make out a sign hanging on the thin chain that he’d seen before - a triangle with a circle inside and a vertical line splitting the symbol. 

“The Deathly Hallows,” he whispered. Out loud, he said, “These biscuits are splendid by the way, Mrs. Bagshot!”

Gellert smiled. “Yes, truly, auntie Bath.” Loud enough for his aunt to hear, but clearly directed at Albus, he continued, “I am of your opinion. Time spent in school feels wasted compared to the time spent chasing after personal goals.”

Albus gave a small, acknowledging nod. “So, _Gellert_ (am I right?), where are you from?” Albus took a wild guess based on the accent; “Germany?”

“Austria,” Gellert said, slightly offended though he tried not to let it shine through. 

Albus nodded again, now he was the one with the sly smile. “Interesting.”

“I knew you boys would get along,” Mrs. Bagshot chimed in. She patted Gellert’s shoulder who grimaced at the touch. “Albus’ company will do you good, Gellert.”

Gellert’s expression was dark, Albus’ slightly amused. He raised his brows. “How so?”

“Well, I sure hope some of your good manners will rub off on him,” Mrs. Bagshot said. 

Gellert closed his eyes, a tortured groan escaping his lips. He stood up abruptly. “Alright, Auntie, I think that’s enough, I’ll be going now.” 

Albus, though smiling at his opposite’s embarrassment, was a little offended at how easily Gellert would withdraw from his company. 

Mrs. Bagshot noticed the impoliteness of the action and said, “No, Gellert, you stay. And you will escort our guest out as soon as he’s got to get going.”

Gellert sat back down with a quiet sigh.

“If you have more important matters to attend to,” Albus said politely to the blonde, “I will respect that naturally. No offence taken.”   
Secretly he was smiling at the frustration of the young man opposite him. Gellert, who had radiated such power and superiority, had now obeyed to the weak voice of Mrs. Bagshot.   
It was amusing to Albus, yet the next line made his eyes widen.

“How could there possibly be more important matters than you?”

It could have been taken as a teasing comment, but no - there was an honesty to the words and it made Albus feel hotter than he should. Albus realised that, maybe, Gellert hadn’t been keen on avoiding his company after all, but simply uncomfortable with the topic of ‘good manners’. 

Albus drank his tea to distract from his speechlessness and Gellert did him a favour by casually changing the subject: “Have you read the new book on Phoenix feathers by Horatio VanDone?”

Albus put his cup back down onto the saucer. The tea hadn’t been sweet nor hot enough anyways.   
“I have,” he said, “An interesting take on the subject, though irrelevant in the light of the Phoenix’s other powers.”

“Not entirely,” Gellert argued and Albus settled more comfortably in his chair to listen to the wizard. “While bottled Phoenix tears lose their healing power, the feathers don’t.”

“But they’re not as powerful.” Albus felt fully in his element.

“Maybe they can be,” Gellert said with something cheeky in the sub tone. 

Albus raised his brows, intrigued. “You seem like a man with an idea.”

“Not just one.” 

Albus was starting to grow fond of this kind of conversation. Mrs. Bagshot had bustled off into the kitchen and Gellert had visibly relaxed. The same aura of wit that had surrounded him in the very beginning of the visit had returned, but now Albus felt less annoyed and rather aroused by it. Now, Gellert let him take part in his game of wits and Albus wasn’t going to disappoint him.

“You mean a potion.”

“Or something akin.” Gellert’s voice was very calm and collected as though he was talking about the whether, but there was a shine to his eyes that didn’t go unnoticed by Albus.

“You’re a man of riddles and secrets I see.”

Gellert tilted his head, apparently not unsatisfied by that title. “What exactly are you getting at, if I may ask?”

_Everything_ , Albus wanted to say. Because he wanted to get at the underlying suggestions of Gellert’s and his flirting. His arrogance and his wit... But he restrained himself to a simpler question: “How come a man with your skill and intelligence shows up in a town as insignificant as Godric’s Hollow?”

Gellert takes a careful break in which he takes a sip of his tea. “I got expelled.” He didn’t explain anything further and Albus had the strong feeling that he wouldn’t start either if Albus asked him to. It occurred to Albus that the expulsion had most likely been the topic Gellert had tried to avoid earlier on. So, he left the topic alone and attended to his own tea. 

Mrs. Bagshot bustled back in. “More tea, Albus?” 

The young wizard shook his head. “No thank you. I should be going now anyways. I’m sure my brother is already waiting for my return.”

For the briefest of moments there was something like disappointment in Gellert’s expression, but it was gone too quickly to be noticed by anyone. “I’ll walk you outside.” 

Both of them stood up.   
“Again thank you, Mrs. Bagshot.” Albus bid his goodbye to the woman. 

“You’re very welcome. Have a good day.” 

Albus followed Gellert to the front door and they lingered in front of it for a short moment. Gellert looked at him, his right eye seemingly glowing in the dim light of the corridor. 

“See you, Dumbledore,” he said then, with a slowness that made it feel uncanny. 

“You, too...” 

“Grindelwald. Gellert Grindelwald.” 

“Very well. Goodbye, Gellert Grindelwald.”

That evening, Albus had just been brooding over a book, a small sound coming from the window made him look up.   
When he walked over he saw the small paper bird fluttering around in the air outside. He opened the window and the hexed paper bird landed on his hand.   
Frowning, he watched it unfold itself. 

It was blank. 

He drew his wand. “Specialis Revelio.” 

Fine lines of black ink started spreading over the paper, building letters, words, a sentence...

_Meet me tomorrow night. I want to show you something.  
\- G.G. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a comment if you have an idea for another ‘first’ that you’d like me to write ;)


	3. Duel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all thank you to all of my supporters! I’ve gotten such lovely feedback on this and it’s really what’s kept me going :’) I haven’t responded to all comments, so to everyone that hasn’t gotten a reply: Thank you so, so much for all of the love and appreciation. Also for all of the great ideas and suggestions.
> 
> Now, this chapter was requested twice and I’ve really not done it any justice. I’m kind of suffering from art and writer’s block, but I still hope this is somehow readable! 
> 
> [There’s German in this, translations are in the end of the chapter]

They were sitting by the lake.  
It was cool that day, too cool to take a dip in the water and Gellert, even though physically sitting next to Albus, was far away with his thoughts. 

Albus was used to that state of pondering. He was flattered by it even. Gellert was ever cautious with everyone, never letting himself trail off during conversations, never revealing what was going on behind his eyes. With Albus on the other hand he would let his guard slip at least when they were alone.  
But even though he radiated calmness and relaxedness, his mismatched eyes lingering on the lake’s smooth surface and his vest undone, Gellert seemed far more carried away than usual. 

And quite frankly it was starting to bug Albus. 

“Gel,” he said quietly. No reaction. “Gellert.” A little louder. Still, no response.  
Albus groaned quietly. He demanded attention! That’s when he saw a small, dry leaf lying on the gravel shore, right next to Gallerts hand. A grin spread across his lips. 

_”Incendio.”_

It didn’t take long until Gellert startled up. “AUA! WAS ZUM- Albus!” With a movement so swift it didn’t seem possible, he whipped out his wand. _”Aquamenti!”_

Albus laughed and Gellert used that small moment of his amusement to cast another spell. _”Rictusempra._ And Albus at once was unable to stop laughing, doubling over until finally he managed to press out, _”Finite.”_

Now the two boys were looking at each other with glittering eyes. Albus, without having meant to, had started a glorious little battle.  
Immediately the first spell was cast - a harmless dancing charm, _Tarantallegra_ , easily blocked by Gellert in a swish of his wand. 

They jumped to their feet.  
Gellert casted a pepper breath spell, but Albus was quick. _”Langlock.”_  
And Gellert found his tongue glued to his palate. Which didn’t stop him though and he won himself some time by non-verbally casting a jinx on Albus’s wand. 

While Albus was busy unjinxing his wand, Gellert freed himself from the silencing curse and attacked: _”Levicorpus.”_  
Albus was jerked off his feet into the air, but he had already managed to get rid of the jinx on his wand. One small word from his lips - _”Liberacorpus.”_ \- and he fell down again.  
His chest hit the rocky ground harshly, but he suppressed his painful whimper. 

The rush of the battle had taken over him. _”Lokomotor Mortis.”_  
Gellert’s legs were forced together and like that they stuck. Albus grinned, standing up again.  
Gellert growled. _”Flippendo.”_

As quickly as Albus has stood up, he fell down again and before he got a chance to collect himself, another spell hit him. And another. And another. Like a rain, they came down on him.  
He used a strong _Protego_ charm to give himself enough cover to stand up.  
“Coward!”, Gellert mocked. 

Albus’s response was a Horn Tongue Charm - far too simple for his level of skill, but it did the job. 

Both of them were irritated now and they started casting spells way too aggressive for the situation, spells they would never have used against a friend.  
_”Petrificus Totalus!”_  
_”Stupefy!”_  
_”Relaschio!”_

Luckily for both of them, they were quick enough with their counter and protection spells and weren’t hit.  
Until one of them was. 

Gellert had casted a spell utterly unfamiliar to Albus, supposedly one that was only used in Austria. And Albus, so confused by the strangeness of the curse, had been too slow. 

It felt strange, Albus noticed - being hit by an unfamiliar spell in the middle of your chest. What can one do when one doesn’t know the counterspell?  
It wasn’t very long until Albus could identify the curse’s purpose - it had knocked the air out of his lungs. He tried to breathe.

He had never before experienced the fear of death so intensely. So presently and truly. Of course he’d thought about death before, but this was not what he’d imagined. The sheer panic, the confusion, the suddenness of it - he hadn’t ever thought about all that. 

He gasped for oxygen, for life, his right hand cramped around his wand, the left buried into the grass. Grass? Yes. He had sunken on his knees. His vision had started to blur.  
The curse was more than just knocking the air out of his lungs, it was knocking the consciousness out of his body - and it was doing that threateningly speedily. 

For five endless, infinitely scary seconds, Albus thought he was going to die.  
And for five endless, infinitely scary seconds, Gellert didn’t know what to do. 

One word. One simple counterspell.

Gellert remembered. Merlin knows what would have happened if he hadn’t...

As quickly as the symptoms had set in, they vanished.  
Albus gasped for air. He coughed. He let go of his wand and broke down on the ground in relief. He was panting. 

Moments passed.  
Reality dawned on both of them. 

“I almost died,” Albus thought, “You almost killed me.”  
But he didn’t say that. He didn’t say anything. Because there was nothing to be said. Gellert knew. He _knew_ , he had casted the spell!

Albus looked at the greyish blue sky and for a moment he thanked the world that he was still able to look at it. Then, he closed his eyes. He felt the cold ground in his back and Gellert sinking down on his knees beside him. His guts twisted. 

No matter how much they _didn’t mean to_ , they still had cast spells far too powerful, far too dangerous and harmful. Albus swallowed.  
“I think...” His voice sounded throaty. “I think we can agree that we should never do that again.” 

There was a pause. 

“Well, you started it...”

“You fucking dick!” Albus sat up and punched Gellert’s shoulder. 

There was another pause. Gellert looked at him for a long moment and his eyes went glassy with something akin to daydreaming. Albus wondered whether he’d already lost Gellert’s attention again, when Gellert suddenly said, “Speaking of starting, why _did_ you start it?”

“It’s not like I meant to, Gellert.” 

“But you did cast the first spell, so technically...”

“For fuck’s sake, I was just trying to get your attention, okey?! It wasn’t intended as an invitation to attack me!” 

A grin tugged on the corner of Gellert’s mouth. “My attention, huh?” 

Albus felt himself blush and immediately got very angry with himself. He wasn’t the one who was supposed to be blushing! _Gellert_ had just nearly killed _him_ , not the other way around!  
There was absolutely NO REASON for him to blush.

And yet his cheeks grew even hotter when Gellert brought his face closer to his. “You know there’s other ways of getting my attention, right?”

Albus’s heart skipped a beat. But he swallowed down his excitement.  
“Gellert, this isn’t fun. We could have- I mean, just imagine what could have happened if-“ 

“I know,” Gellert whispered. And then something happened that Albus hadn’t been equipped for.  
Gellert started crying. It was very silent. No sounds of a sob, not even a sniff.  
Just tears rolling down his cheek, cutting through the smooth perfection of his skin. 

Perplexed and lacking any other idea, Albus did the first thing he could think of - he pulled Gellert against his chest. 

It was a weird angle, an uncomfortable hug, but Gellert didn’t seem to mind. He just clenched onto Albus. “Verdammt, Albus.” His voice was muffled by Albus’s shoulder. “I thought- Fuck, no.”

When Gellert suddenly held the confused Albus at arm’s length, he had a determined glitter in his eyes. 

“I will never, ever cast a spell against you ever again. I swear by my heart, Albus Dumbledore. Niemals.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> German - English translation 
> 
> “AUA! WAS ZUM-“ - “OUCH! WHAT THE-“
> 
> “Verdammt” - “Dammit”
> 
> “Niemals.” - “Never.”


	4. Date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the request, @Mellomelody 
> 
> This is not really proof-read (as always, hehe), so please excuse any mistakes, English isn’t my first language.

Albus was wide awake when the turret clock struck twelve. His heart was racing when the sound faded. The room right under the roof was dark and he was alone. He closed his eyes. 

Gellert was starting to grow impatient. He shifted his weight. For what felt like the one hundredth time his eyes darted up to the window. The sound of the church’s bells had died away fully. He clacked his tongue and inhaled sharply. 

Albus rolled onto his side, eyes fixed on the very window that Gellert had taken such a liking to. Warm, thick air stood in Albus’s bedroom. He had to make a decision. It was a decision he’d been trying to make and thinking about the entire evening and night. He had been fairly sure that he’d already made his choice. Now however, in the dark of the night, he wasn’t so sure anymore. 

Gellert whipped out his wand in annoyance and raised it. Nothing happened. He bit down on his lower lip, trying to think of some kind of useful spell.  
He gave up finally and instead picked up a small stone. It rested comfortably in his right hand. He squinted his eyes. 

Albus wasn’t dressed in his night gown as one would expect him to be in the middle of the night. He was dressed in his best pair of pants - a decision he was still questioning - and a wide, white linen shirt. It let the warm air through to his skin.  
His hand was nervously tangled in his hair when a sound - like a little _clinck_ \- forcefully pulled him out of his thoughts. Finally, _finally_ his heart won over his mind and he stood up.

Gellert’s grip around his wand tightened. It seemed like an eternity until finally the window, two stories above him, was opened and a familiar face appeared, framed by auburn hair. At once Gellert’s bad mood vanished and a mischievous smile spread on his face. 

Their feet hit the asphalt in a steady, quick rhythm as they hurried down the street.  
The air rushing against his skin and fluttering through his white linen shirt was able to brush away Albus’s worries and fill him with lightness. The darkness was thin now, the moonlight bright and beautiful. Albus ran after Gellert whose hair - dunked in the silver of the night - seemed a thousand times whiter than usual.  
He wanted to ask where they were going and then again he was too overwhelmed to do anything but run - run after this beautiful, mysterious, genius boy who invited _him_ (not any boy, but actually him) to meet him at midnight out in the street. 

Gellert squinted his eyes, trying to understand why his nervousness was slowly but surely growing bigger than his certainty.  
Without wanting to really, he threw a glance at Albus running beside him. What was it about the boy? Why was he doing this?  
Oh, Merlin’s beard, he should just stop questioning it! They were almost there...

Albus stopped abruptly when Gellert raised his hand. They’d reached the forest next to the village.  
Finally, Albus found his voice. “What are we doing here?”

“You’ll see.”

Albus rolled his eyes. Pretty blonde boy was trying to play all mysterious to seem more interesting. Of course!  
The worst thing was that it worked. Albus shifted his weigh in anticipation as Gellert drew his wand. 

“Accio portkey,” Gellert muttered. A soft noise from within the forest - the crack of a branch and leaves rustling - and there came the portkey. Gellert caught it.  
It was a small stone, not bigger than his knuckle, round like a circle.  
Albus had come over to stand next to him. 

“Shall we?” Gellert smiled a small grin. 

Albus wasn’t sure what drove him, but he didn’t even hesitate. 

A portkey isn’t exactly a comfortable way of travelling, but quite practical nevertheless. Besides, the journey was of little importance to Albus - the destination counted.  
And the destination was a beautiful lake. 

It lay before them with its glittering surface, surrounded by trees. The air was warm and thick as though the day had been hot and sunny. Fireflies scrimmaged just centimeters above the water, dancing as though they were trying to glow brighter than the stars above. 

It was one of the mildest, warmest nights Albus had ever experienced. For a long time they didn’t talk much. Albus didn’t ask what or where this place was. And he didn’t try to guess. 

Gellert settled down by the lake’s shore and let little birds dance around Albus’s auburn head. One of them landed on Albus’s shoulder and started singing.  
After a few seconds they disappeared into a poof, just a few singular feathers floating in the sky were still hinting that they’d ever existed. 

“Let’s swim,” Gellert said.

Albus looked at him, flustered. And didn’t say anything. 

“Come on.” He pulled off his shirt and let it fall to the ground. Albus’s breath caught in his throat. Gellert’s white skin stretched smoothly over his abdomen and chest. Several tattoos reached from his waist to the side of his rib cage. Ancient runes and signs that even Albus couldn’t recognise, let alone decipher - presumably old magic.  
“Don’t be a wuss, let’s go.” 

Albus blinked. And swallowed. And tried to find his voice.  
Failing miserably, he instead looked down to hide his awe and started fumbling with his own shirt. 

The water was surprisingly warm, but Albus didn’t dare ask whether it was magically changed. 

“Watch this,” Gellert said and glared at the surface. It started bubbling, moving, changing into some kind of shape and - a dragon of 3 metres length shot out of the water, being made of water itself. It flapped its wet wings. The moonlight shone through it, breaking in its shapes.  
And even though Albus could have stretched out his hand into the dragon’s body only to feel nothing but water, its skin seemed incredibly real.  
With a splash it fell down and within seconds the surface was smooth and calm again. As soon as Gellert had summoned it, he had let it vanish again. 

Gellert was grinning. But Albus wouldn’t be so quickly smitten this time, oh no! He hid how impressed he was.  
“Pretty cute,” he said casually. “My turn.” 

He stretched his arms and fingers, stiffened his legs and feet, his entire body.  
He sunk down into the water, dark calmness swallowing him up. He concentrated on the core of his stomach...

Gellert frowned, keeping himself swimming at the surface. For a moment, nothing happened. The smoothness of the lake was only disturbed by the waves he was causing himself. 

Then - With a splash, Albus shot out of the water. Two feet above the lake he soared, surrounded by a ball of water. Within the ball there seemed to be another - a bubble of air. Smiling, Albus raised his hands at Gellert. 

Gellert didn’t even have time to ask “How?” as he was already swallowed up by a big wave.  
The lake tossed him about for a while before finally spitting him out in the shallow water of the shore. He landed quite ungracefully on his bum and the first thing that he heard as the water ran out of his ears was Albus’s laughter ringing through the air. 

Gellert wanted to shoot Albus an angry glare, or hex him, or at lest spit at him, but... But there he was, swimming towards Gellert, laughing so hard he was coughing and quite frankly Gellert was lost of words and actions. 

Thinking back he’s pretty sure that was the moment. The moment he fell in love with Albus. The moment he knew he wanted to have this boy - and more than that, he wanted to have him in his life. Fully. No strings attached.  
Drenched in water, sitting on gravely ground, all guards slipped down - It was the moment his stomach dropped and his breath shuddered and he suddenly realised that his hands were itching to reach out for the boy that was laughing tears next to him. His fingers were itching to get a hold of that narrow waist or those wet strands of reddish hair.  
He wanted to read that person’s thoughts, wanted to live inside his mind, wanted nothing more than to be as close as possible, as intimate as could be.

Gellert swallowed and casted a drying charm on both of them. He forced himself to pout in upset.

“Oh, come on... That was fun!” Albus smiled and stood up. He slipped back into his shirt, but left the buttons undone. 

Gellert huffed. “How did you learn that?” 

“Show me yours, I’ll show you mine.” 

“It’s a highly complex, very old spell. My ancestors have passed it on for generations.”

“Well, mine’s a very new spell. Who knows, maybe I’ll be passing it on for generations to come?”

“You’re pretty cocky, you know that?” Gellert squinted his eyes.

“That’s bold coming from someone who believes he’s going to rule the world in the future.”

“What’s wrong with being confident?”

“Oh, nothing’s wrong with you - apart from your eyes maybe.”

“Oh, wow, ouch!” 

There was a pause. Albus picked up a flat stone and let it skip over the lake.  
1... 2... 3, 4, 5, 678. 

He waited until the waves had vanished until he said, “Thank you for taking me here, Gellert.” He looked down. “If I could meet you here every night for the rest of my life, I’d come, you know. Every night.”  
It was a bold statement. Courageous. Outrageous even! Too forward?... 

“I’d be waiting for you,” Gellert whispered, “Albus Dumbledore.” 

He smiled. It was a small, shy, smitten smile. And he forced it away quickly. But it was there. 

“Now show me how to do that thing with the water!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE
> 
> Ok, so some credit goes to @yumbledore because in his “Speech prompts with Grindeldore” they have a date by the lake in chapter 13 and I stole that idea for it is too cute.
> 
> And credit for “If I could meet you here every night for the rest of my life, I’d come” goes to Bryan Fuller’s Hannibal in which Hannibal says “If I saw you every day, for the rest of my life, I would remember this time.” And it’s the most dramatic, romantic shit ok, bye.


	5. Argument

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mellomelody asked for this and I thank them kindly for it :)  
> I hope you enjoy!
> 
> DISCLAIMER: i don’t have a beta and English isn’t my first language, but you’re free to drop it in the comments in case you find typos or weird grammar

Albus and Gellert had had exactly one argument.  
It had been during the summer of 1899 in Godric’s Hollow that they had gotten into their first and last fight. One that was to haunt them for the rest of their lives. 

The days were shortening already, the nights growing cooler, and Gellert was sneaking in through Albus’ window. It was a familiar motion by now - pulling himself up onto the windowsill after having climbed up the ivy twine outside. 

Aberforth loathed Gellert.  
He loathed him in a way that old, grumpy men loathed cheery, cheeky children, though Gellert liked to think that Aberforth loathed him rather like the antelope loathed the lion or the student their master.  
Either way, it was a mutual feeling.  
“The fun killer doesn’t know what’s good,” Gellert would say to Albus whenever the latter would come to their favourite tree just outside Godric’s Hollow, complaining about his bigger brother. “He has no sense of greatness,” Gellert would say, “He could never understand the Greater Good.”  
Then they’d talk and make plans and exchange sloppy kisses until Albus’ brother was forgotten. 

But when Albus returned, Aberforth would chide him. He didn’t want him spending time with Gellert.  
“He’s arrogant and cocky,” he’d say, “It rubs off on you and it doesn’t suit you!”  
There was no point in arguing, Albus had learned, though he was usually in a good mood to start a discussion.  
A “bighead” Aberforth would call Gellert grumpily and tell Albus, “You’re better than that.”  
Albus didn’t listen. Maybe he should have. 

Anyhow, it was clear that a deep hatred lay between the older Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald.  
This was the reason for Gellert’s sneaky demeanour and why he had gotten used to swiftly slipping in through the bedroom window. There, Albus would wait, reading or writing or practicing spells, doing homework. A grin would spread across his face, split his lips as he spotted Gellert on the windowsill. 

But that day, Albus wasn’t in his bedroom.

The room lay empty, dust dancing in the moonlight in front of Gellert. The bed was undone, parchment and quills lay on the desk, dismissed by the owner.  
“Albus?”, Gellert hissed and took a step into the room. 

That’s when he heard voices from downstairs. He squinted his eyes and hurried to the bedroom door. It was of massive wood, just as indelicate as most of the house’s interior design.  
Albus didn’t fit into this house, Gellert found.  
Albus was delicate and beautiful, had soft features and hair that curled gently around his smooth skin - he deserved a castle and a throne in Gellert’s eyes and no less. He wasn’t meant for a room as dark and dusty as this, he was too strong and too important.  
Albus had only laughingly shook his head and kissed him when Gellert once voiced these thoughts to him. He didn’t want to run away with Gellert, not without Ariana. Gellert had often lamented this, but it was one thing Albus was very insistent about. They had made plans that involved taking Ariana with them and helping her control the Obscurus, or even removing it and curing her. But both of them, in silence, knew that those were unrealistic dreams.  
Secretly, Gellert had often selfishly wished for Ariana to die. So they could finally run away, so he could finally have Albus and really have him, so that they could leave behind Aberforth and Godric’s Hollow and start into their life as the bearers of the Deathly Hallows. So that they could leave behind this dusty room and massive wooden door that didn’t fit to Albus. 

With long, pale fingers, Gellert opened the door to the corridor and peaked out. It wouldn’t be advisable to be seen by Aberforth at this time of the night. But he had to hear and see... 

Nobody seemed to be around, so he felt safe, creeping step by step down the stairs. There was light burning downstairs. He could make out the voices now. 

“No, tell me where she went! I wanna know where she went!” A female voice, panicked and somewhat childlike. 

“Okay. Fine. Okay, I will tell you. But you need to calm down first, okay? Everything’s fine.” Unmistakably that was Albus’ voice. Gellert would have recognised it anywhere.  
There were more sounds, shuffling and whimpering. They were coming from the sitting room. “No, Ariana, listen to me, Ariana...”  
Gellert approached the door. It stood open just a slit and candlelight fell out into the corridor - a thin, long, orange-luminous line.  
“It’s all okay. You can relax, Ariana, I’m here...” 

A shrieking scream ripped through the air, followed by a sound Gellert had never heard before. It made his blood run cold. “ALBUS!”  
He burst in through the door. 

A black substance hung in the room, reminding him of rattlesnakes and cobwebs. It was moving and he suddenly became painfully aware of the fact that he probably shouldn’t have yelled. Quickly, he whipped out his wand and built up a shielding charm.  
His eyes found Albus who was standing next to an armchair, hands raised towards the dark substance. Their eyes met. 

“Don’t move!”, Albus instructed, wasting no time on hellos. “Stay where you are. She just needs to calm down. Put your wand down!” 

“Albus, this is madness!”, Gellert gave back. 

“Just do as I say!” 

Wary, but trusting, Gellert lowered his wand. “This is bad, she won’t make it much longer...”

“Shh!” Albus was walking towards the substance. Slowly, but surely, it hissed and backed away and pulled together into a bundle in the corner of the room.  
And there she sat, curled up in a white nightgown, long hair straggly, falling over her face. Ariana was skin and bones - deep shadows beneath her eyes, fallen cheeks and a delicate figure. The gown hung on her as though she were but a stick.  
One wouldn’t expect something as powerful as an Obscurus to live inside something as seemingly puny and dead as her.  
It mesmerised Gellert every time, had him wondrous of the dark magic that was so involuntarily created, often by people that wanted exactly the opposite. A glitter lay in his eyes at the sight. One that would have made Albus’s forehead crease.  
But Albus had other things to worry about.  
With the utmost care, he approached his sister. 

“Shh, I’m not going to hurt you. No one is. See, he’s my friend. He’s my friend, Gellert. You know him, you’ve met him, remember?” His voice was soft as cashmere. “Can I come over to you, Ariana?” 

She was quivering, shaking her head slightly. Unable to speak. She looked tiny and almost dead in front of the massive book shelf that reached up to the wall behind her. But her panicky eyes and the whirr of the Obscurus in the air made it clear that the force within her was far from tiny or dead. 

“No?”, Albus crouched down on the carpet a few feet away from Ariana. “That’s okay. I won’t come closer, see? I’ll stay here.” He gave a smile. 

The petroleum lamp on the table flickered unnaturally. “Albus, what’s going on with her?” 

Albus flinched and shot Gellert a warning glare. He proceeded to talk to Ariana.  
“Ariana, look at me. I’m here, you’re very safe, okay?”

“Mommy,” Ariana said and it was the most horrific thing Gellert had ever heard. 

“Look at me,” Albus repeated, but Ariana didn’t.  
Ariana looked at Gellert, confusion-drunk. Her eyes seemed to stare through him. 

“Hello,” Gellert said softly, sweetly, tenderly, like honey. “Hello, Ariana.” 

A shrill, pained scream ripped out of her, shaking the ground. Books tumbled from the shelf onto the carpeted wood loudly and she screamed and screamed and wouldn’t stop screaming.  
Gellert’s hands flew up to his ears, he watched Albus do the same and then the door next to him swayed open abruptly and a figure in a violet night robe entered. Aberforth. 

“What in the- ALBUS, WHAT DID YOU DO?!” In a second, Aberforth had crossed the room and pulled Albus up from the floor. The ground was still shaking.  
Albus started out to say something, but Aberforth didn’t listen. He’d turned and seen Gellert. 

“You...” His voice was thick with fury. “This is your doing!” 

“Aberforth, no, think of Ariana!”, Albus was saying, but Aberforth’s fist was already curled around the linen of Gellert’s shirt. 

The end of a wand poked Gellert’s jaw. Fierce, piercing blue eyes fixated him, so much like Albus’s except they really weren’t. For Albus would never look at him as though he wished nothing more than to see him die a gruesome death.  
“WHAT DID YOU DO?!”, Aberforth yelled into Gellert’s face, pushing him against the wall. 

He’d heard enough, Gellert decided. “DON’T YOU DARE TOUCH ME.” There was no need to let this madman talk to him like that. “I DIDN’T DO ANYTHING!” Aggressively, he pushed Aberforth away. The older Dumbledore almost tripped and fell, giving Gellert enough time to whip out his wand.  
Ariana’s deafening screams turned into a heartbreaking wailing. But Gellert was so dunk with adrenaline, he barely paid it any thought. Magic ran like electricity through his veins as he pointed his wand at Aberforth. 

“It’s you. It’s always been you,” he spat. “You dull, boring, unimportant, weak imbecile.” His grin was more like a grimace. “You’re scared of me.” 

“Gellert,” Albus started. A helplessness tore at his heart. He wasn’t heard. 

“Oh, I’ll show you your place, you arrogant boy,” Aberforth bit back and at once, curses shot through the air like bolts of lightning. 

“ABERFORTH!” Albus didn’t even know whose side he was on, but he’d whipped out his wand as well.

“YOU DON’T GET TO TALK! YOU NEVER CARED FOR ARIANA!”  
A spell sprang out of Aberforth’s wand and raced towards Gellert with such speed, Albus was frighteningly sure for a moment that it would hit. But Gellert parried and shot one back.

“THAT’S NOT TRUE!” 

“You’re just jealous, because you failed to make Albus happy when I did,” Gellert suddenly cuts in, “You failed as a brother.”

“FAILED?! I PROVIDED!”

“Gellert, stay out of this!”, Albus begged.

Ariana’s wailing turned into whimpering. She was shaking so hard, she was practically vibrating. But over the sound of the spells and the yells and the raging tension in the air, nobody noticed it. The three men were deeply lost in an argument that was long overdue. 

“Out of this?! No, Albus. You are too good for this place, I’ve always known,” Gellert parried another spell and sent one back flying at Aberforth, blue and bright.

“GELLERT, STOP!” 

“NO!” Grindelwald was a force of nature, a hurricane of magic. “I won’t let you rot away here, with an idiot and a dead girl!” 

“You do NOT SPEAK OF HER THAT WAY!” Albus’s eyes turned cold and he started attacking Gellert, too. It tore at his heart, his very blood told him to stop. And none of his spells found their aim. 

“CAN YOU SEE IT NOW?”, Aberforth yelled at Albus as curses rained down on his shielding charm like bombs on a city. “This is the man you chose over your family!” 

“YOU SHUT UP!” 

“DID HE EVER LOVE YOU?”, Gellert asked and Albus raised his wand at him once more.  
Gellert’s blood was pumping and he did not care for anything much anymore. His sight was hazy with the lightning of magic, spots of red thunder and bright white clouding his vision. He could feel his own voice tear through the air. It gave him a dazzling feeling of power, of might, and it got him high. He was grinning, teeth braced and then, there was a flash of green.  
It was unmistakable and his whole body groaned with relief as he parried the curse.  
He barely stopped to wonder who of the brothers had tried to kill him. He did not want to know. His feet found the dusty carpet a solid ground, and in his chest he found the will to shoot it back: “ _Avada Kedavra._ ”  
It did not find its way to Aberforth’s chest. 

This was not a duel anymore. It was a deadly fight, kin to that of animals. And Gellert did no longer pay attention to his words. The rousing feeling of power took over his body, moved his arms and feet and lips. His wand flicked this way, and that. He took a charm, had to undo it, hit Aberforth in return. He apparated from one corner of the room to the other, dodging spells. Flashes of light erupted from the three wooden tips and collided. Gellert stood in the middle of the firework and all he could do was fight. 

And then, it happened.  
A screech, a black substance slashing out. Two flashes of green. One of them missed. The other found an aim. And then there was a deafeningly high scream.  
And then another: “ARIANA!” 

Gellert stilled. The fireworks had gone. His wand was still pulsing with magic in his hand.  
He looked up.  
Hurried steps. Albus ran, crossing the room, to the slack figure of Ariana. He fell on his knees, his wand discarded beside him on the floor and his hands cradled the thin limbs. “No,” he said, “No, no, NO!” 

Aberforth was at his side at once, kneeling and feeling for her pulse helplessly.  
And then, he looked up. There was a dark burning in his eyes as he looked at Gellert. And it wasn’t just the usual loathing, no. Gellert knew the look of the usual loathing. It was one of disapproval and disgust and hate. This was different.  
With this look, Aberforth wanted to murder him. 

“Did you see?”, he asked Albus who was still pulling Ariana to his chest, “Did you see whose charm...”

“No,” said Albus and his voice was a whisper. 

A tension hung in the air, sizzling. The Obscurus was gone, but it was something else. It was the knowledge that one of them had killed Ariana and they would never know who. 

Gellert felt his whole body tingle.  
He watched, as Albus slowly let go of his sister and gently put her down. She looked almost peaceful as his hand brushed away a strand of hair.  
And then, Albus looked up and met Gellert’s eyes.  
The expression he found made Gellert’s jaw clench. It was cold and distant and empty. Utterly empty. 

“Go,” said Albus. 

Grindelwald did not move. 

“Didn’t you hear him?” Aberforth stood up. “He said GO!” 

Gellert paid Aberforth no mind. “Albus,” his voice was soft, “You will remember my words one day, you’re not meant...”

“YOU’VE DONE ENOUGH!”, Aberforth’s voice roared through the wide room.  
But it wasn’t that which made Gellert leave. Gellert wasn’t afraid or intimated by Aberforth. It were Albus’s eyes that shut him up and chased him away. Clear, and red, and loathing. _It was never going to be the same._ And they all knew. 

The tall shelves seemed to close in on Gellert. He took a last look at Ariana, at Albus next to her. 

Then, he disapparated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I took long to update, but at least I updated. As always, you’re welcome to drop some feedback and some ideas for firsts down in the comments <3


	6. Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp. Now I need to rate this mature.  
> (Don’t blame me, you asked for it. I merely delivered.)
> 
> I wrote this at 1 am. Do not expect greatness.

Gellert had a way of kissing Albus that made him forget where he was and what he was supposed to be doing. Right now, for example, Albus was standing in front of his own house, back pressed against the wooden door in the shadow of the brick wall, and he was supposed to be bidding his goodbyes to Gellert.  
The air was thick and sweet with the remaining warmth of the sun that had just vanished behind the horizon, and the scent of the rhododendron that grew in Albus’s front porch. 

_“Gellert,”_ Albus breathed, hands smoothing over Gellert’s linen shirt. His hair was tousled and Gellert buried his hands in it before letting them trail down to Albus’s stomach. His mouth was warm and his tongue wet and he tasted of wine. Albus groaned. And then he felt Gellert’s fingers slip beneath his shirt, long and delicate.   
“Gellert!” Albus chuckled and pushed him away a little, breaking the kiss. 

They had spent the whole day together, running through the woods, sitting in their favourite tree, bathing in the river, brewing potions in the abandoned barn at the outskirts of the village, and drinking wine straight from the bottle while watching the sunset. They had stolen kisses from each other, had slipped touches onto the other’s skin, the whole day. And now it was dim and the first stars were glistening above them and Gellert’s gaze was hooded with something dark and unmistakable.   
It made Albus’s guts flip. 

“What?”, Gellert grinned and tilted his head, and in the next second, his lips were on Albus’s throat and he was licking at the skin that stretched over his Adam’s apple. 

For a moment, Albus felt his knees grow week and his loins tickling with heat. “We shouldn’t,” Albus managed to push Gellert away, “We shouldn’t do this here, out in the open. We need to be careful.” 

Gellert cocked an eyebrow. “Is that you inviting me in?” 

Albus smiled and blinked at Gellert, a lightheartedness in his chest that only Gellert could make him feel. “Maybe,” he said and kissed him again, shortly. “You need to climb in through the window, though. No apparating into the house. And no using the front door.” 

“I may just hate Aberforth as much as I want to kiss you,” Gellert groaned, his hands running over Albus’s naked waist beneath the shirt.

“Well, then you either hate him a lot, or don’t want to kiss me at all,” Albus responded, catching Gellert’s wrists. 

“I am offended you’d even think of the latter,” Gellert whispered back. 

Albus grinned. “See you upstairs in a minute.” And he slipped away from Gellert’s arms and into the dark house.   
It was cold and lonely for a moment. But Albus was spirited, still feeling Geller’s hands on him like a ghost’s touch. Quietly, he went upstairs, and stopped only to listen for a moment at Aberforth’s door (everything was silent) before climbing the staircase to his room underneath the roof.   
It was moonlit and he closed the door behind him with a quiet clank, his heart racing. There was no going back now. 

He stepped to the window and the second he opened it, two light skinned hands reached for the windowsill. Gellert pulled himself up until he was sitting on it. His hair shone in the silver light and his eyes glittered. His body leant gracefully against the windowsill, his every curve and edge unbearably perfect in the dusk.  
“Hello,” breathed Albus, because he couldn’t think of much else to say, and Gellert grinned. 

“Hello, Albus.”   
He ran a hand over Albus’s shoulders, the collar of his shirt, his chest - and his touch was so light it was frustrating, not much more than a brush of his fingertips against the linen.   
Albus followed his example. He watched his own hands as his fingertips softly traced the lower rim of Gellert’s shirt. They teased over Gellert’s waist lightly and his thighs, and then he played with the cord that tied the trousers to Gellert’s hips. 

There was a breath on the skin of his neck, brushing up to his ear. Gellert dragged his lips over Albus’s skin, but he didn’t kiss him, he just swept his mouth over the sensitive skin, slowly, driving Albus crazy.   
“You’re insufferable,” Albus growled, grabbing the rim of the shirt. He felt his arousal throbbing between his legs, begging him to continue. 

“Oh, am I?” Gellert grinned. “Then, why are you trying to take my shirt off?” 

Albus looked at him seriously. “Because I might die if we don’t reduce the layers of clothing between us to zero right this instant, so shut up and take your stupid shirt off.” 

“So dramatic,” Gellert commented amusedly, “and pushy.” But he willingly got out of his shirt and Albus copied the movement. Their clothes fell to the floor with a soft sound.   
And then Gellert’s naked skin collided with Albus’s and he felt his breath hitch at the contact. His hands reached out, smoothing over Gellert’s tattoos of ancient magic and complicated signs. He’d wondered what it would feel like.   
Gellert kissed him hard, guiding him backwards step by step, tilting his head into the open-mouthed kiss. And his hands never left Albus’s body. Gellert pushed closer and their erections pressed together. Albus groaned, hot with wanting, now. It felt electrifying.

And then there was the wooden frame of the bed against Albus’s thigh. He fell to sit on the edge, catching his breath, looking up at Gellert. 

“Are we sure about this?”, Albus asked, suddenly wary and dizzy. 

Gellert stood above him, backlit by the moon, and ran his hands down Albus’s arms. “Are you?”

“I... Yes.”

“Then, so am I.” And he planted his knees each next to Albus’s waist on the bed, pinning their erections against each other. Both of them moaned, Albus’s fingernails immediately digging into Gellert’s bare back. 

“Zero layers of fabric, you said?”, Gellert panted and fumbled with the ribbon on Albus’s waist. 

“Yes,” Albus repeated, and kissed Gellert’s collar bone. 

It took them some fumbling and swearing and rolling around in the bed until they were finally naked.   
But it was worth it, Albus found, as Gellert’s cock slid against his boner in a smooth roll of Gellert’s hips above his. It sent a wave of pleasure and soul wrenching longing through him. “Fuck, yes,” he groaned and pressed his fingers into Gellert’s skin. “More.”

“So impatient,” Gellert muttered and planted a kiss into the crook of Albus’s neck. He rolled his hips again, rubbing their erections together, infuriatingly slow. 

“ _Gellert,_ ” Albus growled demandingly, and reached down between them with the hand that Gellert hadn’t pinned to the mattress.   
He started stroking both of them concurrently. Gellert moaned against his chest so loudly, Albus was scared for a moment that they’d wake up Aberforth. But really, he was busy and had no thoughts to waste on that.   
His breathing was laboured and his heart beating fast. There was all this skin, and the warm dampness of the summer night, and Gellert’s mouth all over his shoulders and neck, his ear lope caught between teeth, and his tongue tangled in a heated kiss. He arched up to meet Gellert’s body, wanting every inch of his skin to touch one of his.   
They moaned, and groaned, Albus having found a rhythm that did the job for both of them. 

But before Albus could get too close to reaching his climax, Gellert caught his wrist and pinned it down next to the pillow.   
“Gellert,” Albus pleaded, trembling with pleasure. 

And then Gellert did something that made Albus lose his mind completely. He moved down Albus’s body, leaving a trail of kisses on his stomach, and the next thing Albus knew, Gellert’s lips enclosed the tip of his dick.   
“Oh, my- Fuck,” Albus closed his eyes, head falling back into the pillow. Gellert swallowed his full length into the back of his throat and Albus whined blissfully.   
Gellert’s tongue licked the underside of Albus’s boner and he licked and sucked and grazed his teeth over the sensitive skin. “I need to- touch you,” Albus somehow brought out, struggling to free his hands from where Gellert had pinned them to the mattress.   
He managed to free one hand and it went straight to Gellert’s hair, first closing around the white strands eagerly. “Oh- oh, fuck, yes!” He lolled his hips and then he came hot into Gellert’s mouth, eyelids fluttering. He sighed and felt his limbs slacken slightly. 

He knew Gellert swallowed, because the very next second, he was kissing him, rolling over in the sheets.   
Albus used both, his hands and his lips, eager to touch every inch of Gellert’s skin, find every one of his soft spots, and explore every stroke that made him whimper. Turned out there was nothing more arousing than making Gellert softly whisper, _“Albus.”_   
He looked at Gellert through his eyelashes as came apart, panting and clenching, and then relaxing. He watched as Gellert’s eyes moved behind the lids and his lips parted with a passionate moan.  
And he was beautiful and perfect, washed in moonlight, and he was all his for the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, to be clear, I have no idea how accurate this was, because I am a woman who has never slept with a man, but I hope it’s bearable.


	7. Afternoon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fluffy as fuck - Thank u for requesting this! uwu

They were drenched to the bone with rain when they finally reached the Dumbledores’ house.   
Careless and laughing, they had run though the summer storm, their steps sending salves of water flying into every direction on the deserted street. It was the first summer rain of the month and it had surprised them both, catching them off-guard in the middle of potion-making in the attic of an old barn where the water had seeped through the broken ceiling. They could have used a spell, but then again they had been surrounded by the muggles of Godric’s Hollow and the rain had felt warm and sweet on their skin after the hot day. 

Albus pulled at Gellert’s wet sleeve and closed the door behind them.   
“That was fun!”, Gellert was still chuckling and out of breath when he fell against the door. 

“Yes. Yes, it was,” agreed Albus and watched as Gellert ran a hand through the dripping hair. Somehow, Gellert managed to be painstakingly attractive just wiping the strands out of his face and smoothing them back over his head. 

Albus swallowed. “We should get dried off.”

“Agreed,” said Gellert and drew his wand. One smooth movement and suddenly Albus’s linen shirt wasn’t sticking to his body anymore. 

“Thanks,” said Albus and caught Gellert’s eyes. “Let’s go upstairs.”

Gellert followed at once up the fleet of stairs. They skipped the third step, because it creaked. (That, Gellert had learned quickly - just like everything else he held important.)  
“Where’s your brother?”, he asked as they reached the second floor and passed Aberforth’s empty room. 

“Probably in the basement,” said Albus, his throat tightening - as always when he spoke or thought of his sister. 

Gellert nodded. He’d learned to read these little signs in no time and he respected those lines Albus drew. (At least most of the times.) There were topics that were only to be discussed when Albus began the discussion - Gellert had those, too, and Albus was just as respectful about them as Gellert was about his. 

They reached Albus’s chamber on the upper floor. Small and wooden and somewhat cozy.   
Gellert took a long, deep breath - it smelled like Albus. Rhododendron and linen and ink and parchment. The rain ran down the window, drop chasing after drop and it was dim in the room.   
Gellert walked over to the desk where there lay an issue of The Daily Prophet, quills, and old books, and sheets of parchment covered in Albus’s curvy handwriting.   
Absentmindedly, he picked up a quill and twirled it between his fingers. 

“I still need to finish some things for school,” said Albus next to him and ran a hand through his hair. 

Gellert looked up. “Who needs school?”

“Gellert.” There it was. Gellert knew this tone. This tone that Albus used when he had spent a little too much time thinking about the future. About _their_ future; the plans and dreams and promises, and especially everything that could go wrong.   
“You know I want to finish school.” Gently Albus took the quill from Gellert’s hands, his fingers brushing against smooth skin. “I _like_ Hogwarts.”

“I know,” sighed Gellert and snaked his arms around Albus’s waist. He pulled him flush against himself and rested his head on Albus’s shoulder. Albus eased into the hug almost instantly. 

“You like your stupid school more than me.”

“That’s not true!”

“As soon as you’re out of school we’ll run away together,” said Gellert and his tone was questioning, “Promise?”

Albus giggled and drew away from Gellert. “You’re dumb, you know that?”

“Excuse me?!” They pulled apart. 

Albus laughed and reached beneath his shirt for something - an amulet on a silver chain. It looked like a pearl enclosed by silver engravings, and within the pearl, two little lights were dancing around each other. It lay warm in Albus’s hand from having been pressed to his hot skin.   
“Would we have made this if I weren’t to run away with you?” His eyes twinkled.

Gellert looked at the blood pact. “No,” he said quietly. 

“Here,” said Albus.   
Gellert watched as his lover slipped out of the necklace and he bowed his head when he solemnly put it around Gellert’s neck instead.   
“Keep it. May it remind you I promise to run away with you.” 

Gellert reached out of Albus’s hands. “I just wish we could go sooner.”

Albus gave his hands a squeeze. “If you help me with this homework it will quicken the progress.”

“Ugh!”, made Gellert over-dramatically, causing Albus to smile and roll his eyes. He dropped down onto Albus’s bed. “Only if you insist.”

“Oh, but I do!” Albus picked up some books and parchment and the quill Gellert had been playing with and carried all of it over to his bed. Gellert watched and made some butterflies appear around Albus’s head with a simple, but efficient spell. Albus smiled as the butterflies fluttered around his head. He sat down cross-legged opposite Gellert with his auburn hair all messy and his eyes bright and Gellert felt his heart flutter just like the butterflies. 

Quite skilfully (not that Gellert had expected anything else) Albus magically made a flying candle appear between them to shed some light on his work.   
“There.” He opened the book and showed Gellert the page. 

Gellert groaned. “Do we _have_ to do this?”

“Drama queen. It’s not that bad. Look, there’s something about dragon hearts that could actually help us with the potion we couldn’t finish today in the barn.”

Gellert sighed and sat up, looking down at the page. “Oh, the things one endures just to take over the world...”  
Albus rolled his eyes and hexed him a pair of pointy ears. 

Time flew by and they almost got work done. The streaming rain outside the window turned into a soft patting on the glass. They sat cross-legged on Albus’s bed, with butterflies and pointy ears and a flying candle between them. Gellert quizzed Albus on some astrology and rewarded him with kisses for every correct answer.   
Their knees touched and their hands brushed. Gellert watched closely as Albus wrote - memorising the way his fingers curled around the shaft of the quill and the way his forehead creased when he made a mistake. Albus had beautiful hands, Gellert found. Albus was generally beautiful, he found. 

And then, the afternoon bled into the evening and the rain stopped. The candle was gone and replaced by a petroleum lamp and Gellert and Albus were drinking wine straight from the bottle, passing it back and forth. The windows were open, the evening breeze blowing in.   
Gellert traced the outlines of Albus’s face with his eyes, illuminated by the low sun, soft and orange like Albus’s hair.   
Lazily he ran his fingertips over the back of Albus’s hand and smiled. If it meant staying with Albus forever, Gellert would have study sessions like these every afternoon. For the rest of his life.


End file.
